Alternative Career Paths You Can Pursue With Welding  

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of welding is perhaps, a person in safety gear with equipment to fuse pieces of metal. You probably also picture the work that involves extreme heat, in a messy environment, filled with heavy materials and welding spatter.  

However, this is not the only true depiction of welding, as it is much more diverse than that. Learning how to weld is a valuable skill, as theories and hands-on experience can be beneficial to other professional roles. This opens doors to alternative career paths for someone with welding skills. This article aims to discuss some uncommon jobs that one can get with welding skills or qualifications.  

1. Fine Arts

The field of fine arts may seem delicate and aesthetic, unlike the world of welding. However, some artistic abilities are not far from welding skills. Welding skills per se are transferrable and can even be applied to painting, sculpture, woodcarving, or drawing. With a welding qualification, one can make use of their welding skills in creating visual pieces, not just for decorative purposes, but also for business.  

Moreover, fine arts introduce certain materials, manual tools, and metalworking processes to be incorporated into the artwork. Fusing, forming, and designing are all present in the arts and these manual skills are very much applicable in welding.  

2. Entertainment Industry or Crew

Not many know that television and movie production needs plenty of accomplished welders in a behind-the-scenes capacity. Every set needs a large crew fulfilling various roles, and that includes welding. Someone with the right welding qualifications can make use of their skills in taking charge of the building of sets, cars, and especially metal props.  

In addition, most film sets are made of aluminum, hence, knowing how to weld is an advantage. One’s welding skills are not just limited to the creation of props and construction of sets but also play a vital role behind the camera. For example, if a film involves hundreds of cars, a chassis has to be tweaked to make it appear that some cars go faster than others. There is also a need to cut holes in the car’s roof to shoot scenes from above. 

3. Inventor or Enterpreneur

Entrepreneurship is such a diverse field that does not require specific skill sets. One just needs to be willing to learn to design innovative ideas to launch in the market. A qualified welder with the right experience can make use of this knowledge in generating ideas to come up with prototypes or final products. 

Entrepreneurship is much more exciting since one can fabricate the product themselves. Because of the welding skills possessed, there is no need to contract out services and spend more money. It is also much more fulfilling, as one does not only sell but also makes the objects. One example would be a jewelry-making business that requires good hand skills, an eye for detail as well as creative skills.   

Pursue an Alternative Career Path

Welding skills acquired are never put to waste as there are numerous career options out there. It may not be exactly similar to mainstream and common welding jobs, but it is still interrelated. Others would even invest in training, seminars, or courses to learn welding not necessarily to become welders but to gain certain competencies and knowledge. With that, they can apply these skills in whatever field they are in, whether or not it involves metal making, manual work, or construction.